Method of making spring clips



March 17, 1953 M. SCHWARTZ 2,631,359

METHOD OF MAKING SPRING CLIPS Filed May 20, 1950 Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD F MAKING SPRING CLIPSL Marcus Schwartz, Flushing, N. Y.

Application May 20, 1950, Serial No. 163,214

2 Claims. (Cl. 29148) This invention relates to hanger-type clips, and more particularly to their formation and mounting.

It is an object of the present invention to devise a method according to which the spring characteristics of a clip with normally closed jaws may, in the course of its formation and in an exceedingly simple manner, be accurately controlled and regulated within wide limits.

It is another object of the present invention initially to shape the clip into a partly nished form in which the finished jaws thereof are separated from each other, and then to finish the formation of the clip through permanent deformation of a part thereof other than the jaws, in order to effect closure of the latter with an accurately controlled yielding force.

It is another object of the present invention to use for the above-mentioned finish-formation of the clip a conventional riveting machine of which the power-operated header may pass between the separated jaws of the partly finished clip for simultaneously performing the dual function of heading a rivet by means of which the clip is secured to a support, and of permanently deforming the non-finished part of the clip, thereby eiciently effecting the finish-formation of the clip in the course of its attachment to a support, and also permitting the use of a conventional riveting machine for the attachment to a support of a normally closed clip without damaging the latter or adversely affecting its desired spring characteristics.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more :f-

fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a mounted clip which is formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same clip in mounted condition;

Fig. 3 shows the clip and certain parts of a s riveting machine in an intermediate stage of the formation of the clip and its attachment to a support;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the final stage in the formation of the clip and its attachment to the support; and

Fig. 5 shows an example of a finished clip in non-mounted condition.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, the reference numeral I0 designates a hanger which comprises a plurality of article holders or clips I2 on a mounting board l which may suitably be secured to any upright support, such as a wall, for instance. The instant hanger I0 with its clips I2 may be like, and serve for the same purposes as, the hanger disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 129,609, filed November 26, 1949. Since the present invention is fully embodied in either single clip of the instant hanger, only the clip fully shown in the drawings will be described in detail hereinafter. Thus, the clip I2 comprises a base IE and forwardly projecting jaws 20, 20. The clip I2 is, as hereinafter more fully described, permanently secured to the board I4 by a rivet 22. The base I8 of the clip I2 preferably assumes, in its mounted condition (Fig. 2), the shape of an oblong leaf spring from the opposite ends 24 of which extend the respective jaws 20. Thus, while the entire base I8 of the clip I2 is resilient and yieldingly resists any spreading of the jaws, 20, thereof, the opposite bents 2S in the base I8 act as fulcrums about which the jaws 2i), 2t primarily turn into their open and closed positions. The jaws, 20, 20 of the clip are, by way of example only, shown as being formed with resiliently expansible sockets and 32 for the reception of articles of widely different sizes, respectively. The forward ends 36, 36 of the jaws 2t, respectively, are dared outwardly to provide for convenient access with an article to either of the sockets 30 or 32.

Fig. 2 shows the clip l2 in its final shape when mounted on the board l. In forming the clip I2, the same is not immediately finish-shaped as shown in Fig. 2, but is initially shaped into the intermediate form I2 shown in Fig. 3 in which the clip is finish-shaped, except for the base bar 4G thereof which is generally V-shaped and formed with an apex a (Fig. 3). The jaws 20, 20 of the partly formed clip I2' are, though individually finish-shaped, separated from each other by virtue of the V-shaped formation of the base bar lle. The clip I2 is formed preferably from a strip of annealed spring steel which, after its formation into the partly formed clip I2 and prior to its final formation into the clip I2 is heat-treated to correct hardness. For the finishformation of the partly formed clip I2', recourse is had to further deformation of the base bar 40 which involves permanent deformation of the latter at least in part. Thus, the base bar 40 of the clip is, for the iinish-formation of the latter, substantially straightened, whereby the apex a of the base bar 40 is permanently deformed to some extent. When the finished clip I2 is held with its base bar 40 substantially straightened, as when the latter is riveted to the board I4 as in Fig. 2, the jaws 20, 20 of the clip will close with a yielding force which depends on the extent to which the apex a of the base bar 4D has been permanently deformed, as will be readily understood. Hence, it is the extent of the permanent deformation of the apex a of the base bar 40 which affords a most accurate control over the closing force of the jaws 20, 20 of the iinished clip I2, as well as permits the regulation of this closing force within wide limits. Thus, by forming the base bar 4t of the partly formed clip I2' of predetermined V-shape in anticipation of the finish-formation, according to the instant method, of the clip with the jaws 20, 20 thereof normally yieldingly closed, the closing pressure of the latter may be accurately controlled and regulated within wide limits by more or less permanently deforming the apex a of the base bar 40 in the course of straightening the latter.

Further in accordance with the present invention, the above-mentioned straightening of the mounting bar 40, including the permanent deformation of the apex a of the latter, are undertaken by the power-reciprocated header 44 of a conventional riveting machine which, in the instant method of forming the clip, is used to great advantage for positioning and heading the rivet 22 by means of which the clip is mounted on the board I 4. Conventional riveting machines such as used in the present instance, have a part or parts (not shown) which transfer theV lowermost rivet from the discharge end of a rivet supply chute into the work in position therein to be headed. Thus, in the present instance, a rivet 22 is supplied by the riveting machine and positioned in a hole 46 in the board I4 and in an aligned hole 48 in the base bar 4t of a partly formed clip I2. To this end, the board I4 is properly supported on the riveting machine so that the hole 46 in the former will without fail receive the rivet 22, while the partly formed clip I2 is in any suitable manner held in correct disposition on the board I4 with its opening 48 in alignment with the opening 45 in the board. As is usual in power-operated riveting machines, the header 44 is advanced immediately after the location of the rivet 22 in the work in order to form a head on the located rivet. Before the operating end 52 of the header 44 reaches on its advance stroke the located rivet 22, a springbacked pilot 54 in the header enters a central recess 56 in the head end of the rivet for guiding the header into correct operative engagement with the rivet. During the latter part of the advance stroke of the header 44, its operating end 52 will engage the rivet 22 and form the end Y58 thereof into the head 60, while a retractible power ram 62 of the riveting machine backs the rivet 22 while the ram 62 is in the advance position shown in Fig. 4. The header 44 will, through intermediation of the rivet head 60 being formed, also deform the V-shaped base bar 48 of the clip into the fiat or substantially flat disposition against the board I4 shown in Fig. Il. In thus deforming the base bar 45 of the clip in the course of the attachment of the latter to the board I4 by the rivet 22, the apex a of the base bar 44 is permanently deformed by being partially attened. Thus, despite the intermediation of the rivet head 6l) being formed, the rapidly advancing header 44 will have the effect of a blow against the apex a of sufcient force to bring about some permanent deformation of the latter. The closing pressure of the jaws 20, 2t of the mounted clip I2 on the board I4 may accurately be controlled and regulated by selecting the depth of the V-shaped base bar 40 of the partly formed clip I2 in view of the resilient flexibility characteristics of the clip material, so that on the subsequent flattening of the base bar 4I) in the course of the clip attachment to the board I4 the jaws 2S, 2@ of the mounted clip will close with the desired spring force. Thus, depending upon the extent to which the base bar 44 is in the course of the clip attachment to the board I4 permanently deformed, the base bar 4d is in its ilat mounted position on the board I4 still under spring tension which, if given free reign by clipping of the rivet 22 and removing the clip from the support I4, would cause the base bar 4G of the clip to recover its original `v'shape in part, as shown for instance in Fig. 5. While the jaws 20, 20 of the removed clip I2 in Fig. 5 are shown slightly separated so that these jaws would close with an inconsiderable spring force if the clip were mounted on the board I4, these same jaws would be closed on the removed clip if they were intended to close with a considerably greater spring force in the mounted condition of the clip on the board I4.

The instant method of forming a closed clip is highly advantageous in that it alfords a -ready and accurate control over the spring force with which the jaws thereof are closed, and further aords ready regulation of this spring force within wide limits. This method further permits, by virtue of the initial formation of the clip into partly finished form, i. e. with the jaws of the clip separated, the simple and expeditious final formation of the clip simultaneously with its attachment to the board I 4 by a conventional riveting machine in which the header is customarily axially reciprocated. Thus, by advancing the header 44 between the separated jaws 2U, 2B of the partly formed clip I 2 in the manner shown in Fig. 3, the header is also used to good advantage for the final formation of the clip.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of Amy invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Method of forming and riveting to a support a clip having a base bar and normally yieldingly closed jaws converging forwardly from the ends, respectively, of said base bar, comprising the steps of bending a strip of annealed spring steel into a partly formed clip of which the jaws are finished formed and laterally spaced from each other and the base bar is V-shaped with the apex of the V projecting inwardly between the jaws, heat-treating the partly formed clip to the desired hardness, holding the clip with its base bar against the support, inserting a rivet into aligned holes in the support and in the apex of the base bar, heading the rivet from the side of the base bar remote from the support by a force applied between the laterally spaced jaws, thereby permanently mounting the clip on the support while at the same time permanently deforming the base bar into a flatter V and resiliently drawing it substantially atter against the support, whereby Said jaws will be closed with a yielding foroethe depth and flattening 2,631,359 5 of said V controlling the closing pressure of said REFERENCES CITED jaws' The following references are of record in the 2. The method of forming and rivetmg to a me of this patent:

support a clip as defined in claim 1 in which said rivet is inserted into said aligned holes from 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS the rear of the support with a header being Number Name Date passed between the laterally spaced jaws of the 150,251 McCoy Apr. 28, 1874 clip for heading the rivet while backing the latter 1,814,103 Johnson July 14, 1931 in the rear of the support, with the result that 1,832,098 Cole Nov. 17, 1931 the jaws will close with a yielding force on re- 10 1,857,754 Hall May 10, 1932 traction of the header from between said jaws. 1,906,874 Platt May 2, 1933 1,928,469 Tinnerman Sept. 26, 1933 MARCUS SCHWARTZ. 2,299,752 JGhIlSOn Oct. 27, 1942 

